Bluey

Hi all: I've got an 80 hp 912ul with 238hrs on it and it is nearly 12 months old. Today after a flight I noticed a slight oil leak from the right rear cylinder near the cylinder head bolt. Not sure how long the leak has been there. I did an oil change yesterday and the leak is so minor that it is simply a slight discoloration around the site of the leak. No drops are visible below the aircraft. No oil usage has so far been detected and I hope this is just a case of the cylinder head bolt needing a re-torque. If this is all it is, does anyone know the torque for the cylinder head bolts on a 912? Has anyone else had any similar experiences? Bluey

Thanks, I'll do that

Hi does anyone know of any airstrips in Oberon? If you live in Oberon and have an airstrip, I know of a few trikers that would love to come and visit from neighbouring towns like Orange and Wollongong.

Pilot screwed up If the reports of the pilot attempting a loop are correct then the occupants falling out is probably the result of not strapping in before the flight. I doubt the seatbelts failed. Either way, anyone who attempts a loop in a trike is in serius need of a good wack to the head.

Hi all: I am looking to upgrade to a 912 in the near future and was wondering what people think of the cruze wing verses the streak III. I have flown both and feel that the cruze is the better handling wing. I plan to do lots of cross country but have found the streak a little too pitch sensitive for my liking. I currently fly an edge x with wizard III. My short term plan is to obtain an instructors rating and do some training in the 912 with whatever wing I get. I haven't ruled out keeping the edge x too as it has a brand new engine and was recently upgraded to the tundra. Over to you. Regards: Bluey.

crash landing on a beach Hi Alf; Just wondering what went wrong for the two who had the bad beach landing given that the tundra are designed to land on soft sand. regards: Bluey.

Not likely a stall Hi, as a trike pilot, it is unlikely a stalled wingtip that caused this one as trikes will drop a nose before anything else. Being on takeoff in gusty conditions, I'd say it was a gust that caught the pilot out as there should have been plenty of airspeed at the moment of takeoff. Or possibly even a mechanical fault but this is unlikely unless pilot error caused by incorrect wing assembly followed by the pilot not doing a proper preflight. Again, highly unlikely as the wings are designed to be almost fool proof during assembly. You either get it right or it won't go together at all. The only other possibility being the wing tip battens not being tensioned on one side of the wing. This will potentially cause a strong turn in the wing. With all this in mind and the fact that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. I'd go with a wind gust. The wing looks like a 50-56knot cruise streak II probably either a 582 engine or earlier model xt 912. Either way at that speed the pilot had little hope in a nose down impact. My sincerest condolences go out to the family. The incident at Albion park a few years ago was possibly the result of pilot incapacitation soon after take off. Kind Regards: Bluey

Hi all; I have a well used and looked after 582 blue top that has attracted a buyer. The engine is 580 hours old since its last overhaul. Does around 8 hours of flying a week and has never been left lying around without regular ground running. The engine had a top end overhaul about 80 hours ago which involved replacing the o rings and head gaskit. There is a very very slight leak in the corner of the front o ring that appears as the slightest evidence of a weep visible only after more than 4 hours of flight. This has not at all detereorated in the last 30 hours since it was detected and there is no evidence what so ever of any oil contamination in the coolant fluid. Cyclone bearing tests conducted on the engine indicate no wear as the testing reveals 0.035mm (front) and 0.04mm (rear). These results have remained stable and testing takes place every 7 to 8 hours of use. The engine has been used exclusively in microlight and typically is flown solo. In this configuration it revs at about 4500rpm (level flight)and burns between 7 to 8 litres per hour. Two up, it revs to 4900 - 5000 burning 11 - 13 litres per hour. Does anyone have any idea as to what this engine is worth as neither myself nor the buyer have a clue? I am not looking to rip anyone off. Regards: Bluey.

Hi all; Just wondering if anyone out there flying a rotax 2 stroke has ever had any warning before their engine has failed on them. I heard of one story a few years ago where a a pilot with passenger took off from YWOL and noticed that the engine seemed a little low on power. At the time the pilot who had over 5000 hrs under his belt in microlights put it down to the hot weather. Anyway, a short time later while again taking off from a short field about 10 miles from the airstrip, the engine lost the crank and slowly failed. This all happened at about 350 feet. The pilot somehow managed to do a near 360 and land back on the same field. Not sure how they made it even in a microlight from that altitude??? Anyway, another story, also with a happy ending, occurring again at YWOL just last year saw another microlight with passenger have a seizure at 400ft over the main runway. No warning what so ever and the engine was restarted easily after landing. The engine had 440 odd hours at the time and seemed to be running very well up until that point. The engine was replaced and no cause was ever determined. Regards: Bluey.

Hi all; I have an oil injected blue top with 570 hours since its last rebuild. About 70 hours ago I did a full top end overhaul. Replacing the head gaskit and o rings. This was done because there was a small fluid leak from the o ring. Anyway, it seemed fine at first until a very monor leak started to again develop about 25 hours ago. After todays flying (3.5hours), two more small leaks (a bit worse than the first one just described) was detected. As of 3.5 hours ago, there was no sign of any oil in the coolant. However, there are very unusual fine black particles whose origin are at this stage unidentified. After speaking to Bert floods, they claim to have never heard of black bits appearing in the coolant. They expect that it may be small bits of a hose or other?? They don't think this is a major problem?? Anyway as far as the fluid leak around the o ring is concerned, does anyone know how long I may have until the inevitable engine failure as I don't really feel like replacing the o rings again and the engine is due for replacement later this year (maybe 50 - 70 hours time). Regards: Bluey.

Hi all: Thanks for all the replies so far. I just spoke to bert floods about this and they say they have never heard of black specs like this in the coolant. They seem to suggest that it may be bits of a hose as they claim that there is nothing in the engine that will cause this ???? Anyway, the rate at which it is dissapearing was not of any concern to them either especially since no oil was mixed in the fluid. So it has me lost a bit. I will continue to keep a close eye on it but a new engine is on the cards. $6375 plus gst. Regards Bluey

Hi all: I have lately noticed some small black flecks in my coolant overflow bottle and the level of fluid in the bottle is very slowly reducing. The rate is about 10ml over about 5 hours of flying. I cannot see any obvious leaks in the system anywhere and no emulsified oil in the fluid. There is a small leak begining in the head gaskit. This shows itself as a fine line of fluid about 1.5cm long with tiny drops along the boundary only noticable after about 4 hours of flying. It doesn't seem to be getting worse and it was first noticed about 20 hours ago. The funny thing is we did a full top end overhaul about 80 hours ago. The engine is a blue top (oil injected) with 560 hours since its only rebuild. It has 1321 hours from new. Should I be too concerned at this stage? Thanks, Bluey.

I just did a retest on the engine I'm a bit perplexed, I just did a re test on the engine and this time the readings were 0.035 for the front and again 0.04 for the rear. I don't know whu this is the case. I did the tests the same way as yesterday. I repeated each measurement 5 times and the results were the same each time. It's possible the micrometer may have a little play in it when the syringe is pulled. Just maybe, if the syringe is pulled too fast then it may be possible that the inertia of the rising micrometer needle may not stop at the highest point the piston reaches???? Thats about all I can think of at this stage. Either way, I will retest again tomorrow after some flying. It is interesting that todays measurements were only different for the front cylinder. The rear cyclinder returned the same readings as yesterday. Todays retest was after a 20 minute ground run late yeasterday afternoon. After the testing today, I flew for 25 minutes at last light and just to get some practice I shut down the engine from 2500 and then landed. It sure is very quiet and peaceful when you do that. Bluey.

Nearly 550 hours since its last rebuild.

Hi all: I've got a blue top 582 (oil injected) motor on my edge x. I did the 25hrly today and as usual did the cyclone bearing tests. The front cylinder was 0.05mm and the rear 0.04mm. The test was repeated numerous times for each and the results are reliable. In the past they have always been around 0.035mm to 0.04mm for both front and rear. How worried should I be. I plan to go for a fly early Sunday morning and then re - test after that. I expect to do around 3 - 4 hours of flying before testing. The test will be performed once the engine has properly cooled. Bluey.

By the way, my instructor and I did the mod about a month ago. It was quite an ordeal to complete. I don't recomend it to anyone with an edge X unless they are really serious about it. Many little details including removing and re - attaching bolts in some instances took an hour or more because of the reduced clearance from the new forks etc. The finished product was in the end well worth it in my opinion. However, the instructor swore that the next person who asks for his help will have to do it on their own. Another issue was the cost involved. Airborne charge a little over $2000 for the parts. The main ones are the new front forks, a wheel rim with drum brake and three tyres and one tube (for the front). How they can justify the $2000+ asking price is beyond me. Bluey.

That's great news. Now we don't have to keep it a secret from the HGFA. Regards: Bluey

What I mean by a rebuild Hi, When I say rebuild I mean the whole shebang minus the gearbox for most 582 engines not a decoke or top end as my engine had about four months ago because of some signs of early leakage in the seals. What are the options for the gearbox? When should I be looking at replacing this? At the moment my gearbox has been going strong for 1250+ hours. regards: Bluey

I have been hearing alot of talk lately regarding the longevity of rebuilt engines. It seems that there exists a belief out there in the trike flying community that rebuilt 2 stroke engines do not seem to last as long as new ones. A number of people that I have spoken to share this opinion including those from Bert Floods and Airborne. Where as a few experienced pilots I have spoken to think this is ballony and a bit of a myth. Now, I don't know what to believe? I have an engine that is used very regularly, runs 4 - 5 hours a week at the moment and generally has had lots of regular use in its 520 hours. The professionals (ie Ariborne and Bert Floods) tell me that most rebuilt 582 engines (mine is the blue top with oil injection fitted) often don't make 500 hours where as most new ones do. Should I be worried that mine is about to die at any moment? I do Cyclone bearing tests every 10 hours or so and so far so good. I would love to hear what others think or have experienced themselves. regards: Bluey

Registration Hi all: Thanks for all your replies so far they have been very informative. In regards to registration, it wont be a problem since you do the inspection yourself and just sign it off. This is done every 5 years. While it may be an illegal modification, it will make the trike safer provided that it has been done properly. Regards: Bluey

Has anyone ever upgraded their edge X or similar from the standard undercarriage to the tundra and is there anyone out there who flies a wizard winged tundra equiped trike. I would love to hear of your experiences as I am seriously thinking of upgrading my undercarriage to the tundra. Airborne say the configuration is not certified, however they sell a kit that is quite easy to install provided you cut a larger hole in the base of the pod to take the larger forks. Also has anyone landed a trike on a beach before? I do alot of flying over beaches and often the only place to land is the beach if an engine failure were to occur. Hence the desire for the tundra tyres. I hear that landing on most beaches on the standard undercarriage is very risky ie the rollover trick is easy to do

Albion Park trike accident Hi; I agree with some speculation in this case as an investigation will rely on the same eyewitness accounts that we have access to. However, it helps to have as many facts as possible. Hence, based on the examination of the damaged aircraft at the scence by the CFI at Albion park here are the facts: The aircrat was a new 582 engined trike with wizard 3 wing (3 hrs total time). The unfortunate pilot was new to the sport (< 30 hrs). The aircraft had been properly rigged, hence mechanical problems were not a likely contributor. The prop had 3 badly damaged blades indicating a properly functioning engine at time of accident. No reports of engine trouble by eyewitness. I'll leave any speculation up to you. Best wishes to the pilot and may he have a speedy recovery. Regards and safe flying Giorgio.

Hi all; From what I've read in this forum, it seems that the general consensus is that the 503 engine is probably more reliable that the 582 but four strokes are the best overall. I'd love to hear about your own experiences both positive and negaitive. How many of you flying these engined trikes have experienced engine failures? At what kind of altitude did they occur and how did you cope with them? If you know the cause of the failure, please let us know. Finally, have any of you experienced a failure moments after take off where your altitude was say less than 15m? What happened? I've heard (don"t know if this is true) that an engine failure this soon after lift off will probably result in a stall and a likely heavy landing. Looking forward to reading your responces. Regards: Giorgio.

From what I've read, most earlier trikes were registered with HGFA. It's only more recently that RAA has started to pick up some of the numbers. Giorgio.

According to the following sites: www.btre.gov.au/publications/37/Files/btre_report111.pdf and www.btre.gov.au/statistics/aviation/Digest/Tabl_20.xls the number of registered trikes in 2003 and 2004 were 480 and 557 respectively. Given this kind of trend a figure around 700 today is likely. Giorgio.